


Proud of You

by asexualjuliet



Series: Note to Self: Don’t be Gay in Indiana [4]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Coming Out, Gay Will Byers, Gen, Jonathan is a damn good big brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 18:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20821745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asexualjuliet/pseuds/asexualjuliet
Summary: It’s eleven pm, and Will can’t sleep.Or, Will comes out to his brother.





	Proud of You

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Should I Stay or Should I Come Out?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12952992) by [vikingtealight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vikingtealight/pseuds/vikingtealight). 

> The working title for this was “Another Will Byers Coming Out Fic??? In MY Google Docs??? Yeah.”
> 
> The Christmas special Jonathan & Will watch is “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” (1974) because it was my entire childhood and also because I can.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“Bye, Will!” Mike says, still holding Eleven’s hand. Will smiles and waves, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach that’s been sitting there ever since he watched them kiss.

“I heard you danced with a _ girl_,” Jonathan teases when Will climbs into the car. Will’s face goes red. 

“_Jonathan_,” he hisses, but Joyce has already pounced. 

“You danced with someone? Oh honey, that’s lovely!”

His answers to her questions are short, just _ yes, no, it was Jenny Meyers, yeah, I guess she’s pretty, _and Jonathan looks at him curiously. 

Joyce is so happy. Will can’t help but wonder why. 

—

It’s eleven pm, and Will can’t sleep. 

(Of course, he’s never had an easy time getting to sleep, what with the nightmares and episodes and midnight freak-outs, but tonight’s especially bad). 

(It’s been three hours since the Snow Ball, but all he can think about is Mike and El kissing and the feeling of his hands on Jenny Meyers’ hips. It makes him sick).

So he gets up and goes to get a glass of water from the sink, tiptoeing over the creakiest floorboards so as not to wake Mom or Jonathan or maybe Nancy, who sleeps in Jonathan’s room <strike> some </strike> most nights, but Will’s not supposed to know that. 

“Will?” A voice comes from the living room when he’s almost finished filling up the glass. Will flinches, letting the glass slip through his fingers. 

“Oh, shit, I didn’t mean to scare you,” says Jonathan as he reaches the kitchen doorway. 

“I—I’m sorry, I—” Will stutters as Jonathan gets out the dustpan and broom. 

“You’re fine, Will, it’s okay,” Jonathan reassures him. Will nods and bends down to gingerly pick up the pieces of glass from the kitchen floor. 

“You okay?” Jonathan asks when they’ve finished cleaning up the glass, and Will nods. 

“Yeah, I—I couldn’t sleep.”

Jonathan nods. “I bought some of those cookies you like,” he says. “You want some?”

Will smiles. “Yeah.”

Two cookies for each of them (don’t tell mom), and a cheesy Christmas special on TV. Will leans his head against Jonathan’s shoulder, and Jonathan wraps an arm around Will’s. 

“Are you having nightmares?” Jonathan asks softly, and Will shakes his head. 

(Unless you count visions of Mike Wheeler’s pretty smile as nightmares, Jonathan’s pretty far off).

“Just can’t sleep,” he murmurs, and Jonathan nods. 

“Me neither.”

“Jonathan?” Will asks a few seconds later, after Jonathan’s turned his attention back to the mice on the TV. 

“Yeah?” Jonathan responds almost immediately, turning his head toward Will.

There’s a tight feeling in Will’s chest as he tries to figure out how to say what he wants to say, to break the silence that’s only punctuated by his heart beating too fast, and—

“I’m gay.”

Will looks up at his brother with pleading in his eyes, and Jonathan can’t help but think of a little boy with the same big brown eyes saying _ Jonathan, he called me a queer _as his parents waged war on each other from behind the door. 

“I love you, okay?” Jonathan says as he wraps his brother in a hug. “I’m really glad you told me.”

Will smiles as tears start to roll down his cheeks, and he buries his face in Jonathan’s shirt. 

“Thank you,” he says, and it’s muffled, but Jonathan can still hear him. 

“I’m proud of you,” Jonathan whispers into Will’s hair, and Will hugs him even tighter. 

The mice onscreen sing a happy song. Jonathan squeezes Will’s shoulder. 

And all is well. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> All mistakes are my own, please let me know if you see any!
> 
> Kudos/Comments are greatly appreciated!


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